The invention pertains to an Alpine ski for use in the various disciplines of skiing (downhill skiing, slalom, giant slalom, cross-country skiing, ski-hiking, etc.), for the various types of slopes (prepared and unprepared ground, deep snow, rutted slopes, etc.) and for different types of snow (powder snow, wet snow and slush, crusted snow, hard slopes, iced slopes, etc.).
With the exception of actual sporting events, where the participants can select a ski which is specifically designed for the actual course or the discipline at hand and can, in addition, also select a ski which appears specifically suited to the character of the slope and type of snow, e.g. in downhill racing, the availability of a ski which is usable universally, i.e. a ski which travels easily and surely regardless of the respective type of skiing being practiced, different ground formations, different types of slopes, different kinds of snow and different character of the slopes, is a problem for skiers and, accordingly, also for ski manufacturers. Thus, for downhill skiing on prepared and possibly also hard slopes, for example, the ski must lie so as to be free of fluttering and so as to have good grip, but, at the same time, so as to be easily rotatable during turning and rapid fanning movements. In deep snow the ski must avoid "cutting in" by means of an elastic, softer upwardly curved portion or tip and must ensure the necessary lift. The required gripping during lateral turning, arc movement and fanning movements must be ensured while simultaneously avoiding as much as possible the risk of tilting, which occurs particularly on the outside of the ski. The need for a universally usable ski in the aforementioned sense is especially clear in cross-country skiing, where the skier comes across different ground formations, types of snow, types of slopes, etc.
Special problem areas of such a ski are the front portion until the transition to the tip, as well as the rear portion. That is, the front portion must be relatively soft and must be flexible or elastic in the vertical direction, but have high restoring force at the same time, while the restoring time is eliminated to a great extent.
Almost all ski manufacturers have already tried to provide such universally usable skis. The most various materials or combinations of material (plastic, wood, metal, combinations of various plastics, plastic/metal combinations, etc.) and also different thickness (heights) of the skis have been chosen for this purpose. However, all known constructions have the disadvantage that the selected material or the combinations of material and the respective construction can not be varied; that is, they cannot be adapted to the different given factors of the ski course. To the extent that some of the producers have used a construction with medium hardness/flexibility of the front portion and/or the rear portion of the ski as a compromise, particularly unsatisfactory traveling characteristics occur on hard downhill slopes. At the same time, such skis are too hard or not elastic enough for powder snow slopes and particularly in deep snow. The skis which are designed so as to be harder are indeed suitable for a downhill running on prepared and particularly hard slopes, but for this reason they are that much less suitable on unprepared ground and particularly in deep snow. Insofar as the softest possible combination was selected as a compromise, particular disadvantages occurred in the form of the risk of fluttering, unsatisfactory guiding during downhill running, slalom and turning/fanning on prepared, firm slopes. The short skis, which were offered as alternatives, and also the so-called medium-size skis, have easy movability and ease of rotation on soft slopes or slopes with a layer of powder snow. However, they have unsatisfactory traveling characteristics on slopes with packed snow, and especially on iced slopes. On the other hand, the behavior of longer skis in deep snow traveling is unsatisfactory.